After returning from the states I decided to take another mini vacation to the Nagano Area. I started out visiting a big temple in Nagano, the Zenkoji Temple was packed with people visiting the Temple for the new year. This was one of the coolest statues ever. It had what looked like tar dripping from it's mouth. There were so many people that I somehow got into line to go into the temple. It was pretty big, but there were tons of people. So I made my way to the exit and walked around the temple and through the garden. After visiting the temple I made my way back to the station and to Yudanaka. 
Yudanaka is a small town of countless Onsens. There are a lot of active hot springs so there are public baths almost on ever corner. After checking into the Ryokan (Hotel) I walked around town to see what was there. I found a lovely sushi restaurant near the Ryokan. After I returned to the Ryokan the owner demonstrated Kyudo, which is Japanese Archery. There is a whole routine that must be done before the arrow can be released. It was pretty awesome to watch. After he demonstrated everyone had an opportunity to try shooting.
The next day the owner of the Ryokan dropped a small group of us off at the Snow Monkey Park. Walking up the hill to the Monkeys I spotted what I thought was a pair of wild boar. They turned out to be Japanese Antelopes (Serow). Walking up to the park we started to see monkeys! The Owner of the Ryokan had told us that 60 years ago the monkeys did not sit in the hot spring. That was until one very smart monkey fell into the hot spring and realized it was very comfortable. She taught the other monkeys in her troop to sit and relax in the onsen. Once her troop was using the onsen, the other monkey troops started doing the same thing. Now more than 200 monkeys use the onsen. 
After visiting the Monkey Park I decided to walk bak to town (about 4 miles). It was great walking in the snow and listening the the river as we both meandered towards town. Once I returned to town I was a little cold so I stopped and had an Onsen of my own. It was like a little hot tub. When I got to the Ryokan I asked the owner if I could try shooting a little more. He spent about two hours teaching me the art of Kyudo. It reminded me a lot of javelin. There is a lot of things happening at once and it takes a degree of coordination, strength, and mental toughness. There are about six steps from holding the bow in front of you, raising it into the air, moving to a forward, expanding (drawing back), releasing, and continuing to expand. I really appreciated the time that the owner spent to teach me Kyudo. He said I did a good job and encouraged me to look for a Kyudo dojo so I can continue to lear Kyudo in Yokohama. After shooting I went to find some dinner. As I sat down to eat an old couple asked if I was by myself, I said yes, and they invited me to eat with them. They shared their food (horse sashimi and all) and sake... The lady at the next table over served as translator, and we all had a great time. At the end if the meal the older man would not let me pay... It was great food and great company... this is one of the many reasons why I love Japan!
Skinny feeble frog,
don't be defeated.
I stand on your side.
Overall the trip was a great, I got to see monkeys, shoot arrows, and see beautiful art. I look forward to visiting the Nagano area again.
